Of Fairys Dragons and Trolls
by Hicc
Summary: Sent on an errand by his father, Hiccup losses himself in the woods, finding himself face to face with the one thing his small village fears most. Fairies. And not just any Fairy, but the Princess herself. What kind of mischief does she have in store for our hero, and how can he help her save her people from ignorance and fear? -AU- and incomplete, just a taste for now.
1. Chapter 1

Hi, my name is Hiccup. Okay, so my name isn't really Hiccup, it's Henry. Henry Horrendous Haddock, uh, the third. Don't ask. Everyone calls me Hiccup so that's what I go by, not sure if it's an improvement or not, but it stuck. The story I am about to tell you is…unbelievable, inconceivable and one hundred percent true. It is the story of how I met my future wife, and of how I, or really rather we, brought together two people that absolutely refused to live with each other, let alone get along with each other.

It starts in my village, Berk, which is nestled on the edge of a vast and enchanted forest. Oh, you don't think our forest is enchanted? Well, you'll see. Anyway, as I was saying, the story begins when I was a much younger man, well I was really more of a boy than a man. I was living with my father, Stoick Haddock, in our family home on the edge of town.

Now, why anyone would ever choose to settle on the edge of an enchanted forest teeming with all sorts of Fairy-folk, trolls and dragons is absolutely beyond me. We were very aware that the forest was enchanted, with a city of Fairies hidden deep within. Exactly _how _we knew is a mystery, considering apparently everyone who ever tried to find it never came back alive, or so the stories said.

I was sixteen, taking my first awkward steps into adulthood. My father was the leader of the village, I suppose you could say he was the chief. He was, and still is, a huge man with enormous shoulders and a head thicker than stone. This seems to be completely accurate because according to our elders he once bashed his head on a rock when he was a child, and split it in half. Are you kidding me, who does that? How was I ever supposed to measure up to that? I was a toothpick, a twig, a walking fishbone for Christ's sake. Needless to say I had big shoes to fill, too big.

As you can probably guess, I was nothing like him. Small and skinny from the day I was born, people took to calling me "useless." I shared my father's hair, and that was it, everything else was my mother's. From a young age my father had me apprenticed to the local blacksmith in a vein attempt to bulk me up. It didn't work. The blacksmith, Gobber, and my dad went back a long way. Gobber lost his left hand and his right leg some time before I was born, and don't ask him how because you will get a different story every time.

My work in the forge may not have had the effect my father hoped, but I picked up the trade exceptionally fast. I am proud to say even Gobber said so…after the thinly veiled death threats stopped. The work, though hard, stimulated my creative side, forcing me to think outside the box to work the heavy tools and the god forsaken bellows.

But I digress. Our story starts here, on a foggy evening in early October just as the sun had started to set. I was just finishing up putting the tools away while Gobber grumbled about this, that and the other thing, mostly about how scrawny I was and how I should grow up already and stop being all….this, in which he would gesture vaguely to all of me. Gobber was nothing if not dramatic.

"I'm going as fast as I can, keep your hook on" I called to him, scampering to put the last of the tooling picks away.

"Don't you tell me what to keep on and what not too laddy" he hollered. "And it aint fast enough yeh wee fishbone!"

After the last tool was put away and the last of the embers snuffed out, Gobber finally relented and let me go home. And about time too because my stomach was howling like an angry wolf. Now, I don't want to give you the wrong idea. Gobber is really great, insane of course, but a pretty cool person. And even though he hoots and hollers and makes all kinds of noise, he is probably one of the nicest men in Berk.

By now the sun had set and the lamp lighters were out and about lighting the oil lamps hanging in the streets. Stepping out into the moist night air I could smell the sweet sent of meat cooking over fires and bread rising on hearths. It made my mouth water and my stomach wail with demand, complaining about how I had missed lunch. Donning my fur vest I ventured out into the chilly night of my village. The walk home was peaceful, mothers having already called their children inside from their afternoon playing.

I looked forward to getting to my own home, dreams of hot bread and warm hearty stew waiting for me on the fire. Maybe father had gone home early to prepare food for us, maybe Phlegima had stopped by to help with the house cleaning. After my mother passed away a few years prior, the house lacked a distinctly feminine touch. Sadly, I was disappointed.

As I turned down the drive to our home, I could see from the end of the dusty street that no one was home. The lights were not lit, no smoke rose from the chimney, and my spirits instantly fell. Stepping insides, my spirits fell even farther. On the table, instead of a hot meal and parental acceptance, was a note illuminated by one of the street lamps. Striking a match I lit a candle with which to read the note by.

_Henry_

_Work at the hall will keep me out late. Go down to the cellar and take a loaf of bread and a cut of meat to your grandfather's. Be careful._

_-Dad_

I sighed, it looked like hot food would not be in my future tonight. Like most homes in or village, ours had a cellar in the basement where wine, beer, and food were kept. The meat my dad was talking about in the note was the dried and salted beef that he had hung from the rafters of the cellar. My grandfather, whom I lovingly called Old Wrinkly, lived just outside the village in the woods by himself. Many of the villagers thought he was mad for dwelling, even part way, in the woods. I never really minded.

With another sigh I headed downstairs to the cellar to run the errand for my father. I picked up a basket and a cloth from the pantry and selected the cut of meat I wanted to bring him. I pulled down two cuts of meat and two loves of bread, along with filling a skin with wine. "Hell," I thought, "if I have to spend my evening running errands I may as well eat on the way." Filling up the basket with my selected food I returned once again to my door, ready to head into the woods.

I was stopped not five paces from my door by a familiar voice. "Hiccup, Hiccup" it called from my left. I turned to see a blond boy, easily three times my girth, come puffing up from a side street. The boy was my age, though he was taller than some of the men in the village, with a round, fat face and a puff of blonde hair on his head. We called him Fishlegs or Legs, no one really remembered his real name. He was the son of the village carpenter and his body was much too big for his legs, hence the nick name. At least I think that is where he got it.

"Yes, Legs, what do you need?" I asked tiredly, not sure if I really wanted to deal with the boy's flights of fancy. He was known all over the village as the "Boy who Cried Fairy." He, like myself, was a social outcast, I suppose it was why we got along.

"I saw one Hiccup, I saw one. She was tall and had blonde hair and wings and _everything._" I sighed heavily, I didn't have time for this. I wanted to be done with this chore and go back home.

"Fish, please, for the love of all things holy, just stop. You're a big kid, you have talent as a carpenter, if you'd just dropped this Fairy obsession you would be well liked. They don't exist Fish, they never have" I told him, bluntly. I knew it would hurt his feelings, might even cost us our friendship, but I was in no mood to listen to him today. The large boy, my only friend in the world, looked crushed. I instantly felt a twinge of regret. "I'm sorry Fish, but I have errands to run and you should be getting home."

He said nothing, just sagged his shoulders and walked home. I felt bad of course, and fully intended to apologies the next time I saw him, but at that moment I was just glad to be back on my way. I had a long walk ahead of me, through woods that I wasn't supposed to want to go into. But to be honest, I had always been drawn to the forest. I can't tell you why but for as long as I can remember I had always yearned to explore those woods.

I resumed my trek to my grandfather's. Old Wrinkly and I had a special connection. He never questioned my ideas or my dreams or fears. He understood me in a way that no one else did. And as much as I cherished that connection, I still wished to be closer to my dad.

As I crossed the threshold into the forest, my belly rumbled angrily, demanding the food I had denied it at lunch. I reached into by basket and pulled out one of the bread loafs, I had brought it for myself after all, might as well enjoy it. The bread was good, mildly sour and tart with a wonderful stiffness to it. I love sourdough bread, never knew why, I just do.

I was so absorbed in my enjoyment of my food I did not notice the fog close in on me, at least not at first. It got so thick that I couldn't see the branches three feet above my head and after an hour of walking I started to get worried. Old Wrinkly's house was only about thirty minutes away and I still wasn't there. I realized that I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere and gotten lost.

It was frustrating because I knew I wasn't that deep into the woods and if the damn fog would just lift I could find my way back easily, but as it was I was stuck. I made a decision, I would sit down and wait for the fog to dissipate. I had food and plenty of layers to keep me safe through the night and, at the very least, the sun would burn the fog off in the morning.

I sighed and settled in, taking out a chunk of the salted and dried meat to chew on. At the time I was more annoyed than anything else, I wasn't afraid of the forest. At worst their were a few wolves about and they would leave me alone, I was too close to the village for them to try for me. I could hear the chirp of bats and the odd hoot of an owl. I admit that the owl caught me off guard, it had been so close and so loud it made me jump. I looked up into the trees and found my answer. A large barn owl sat perched on a limb over my head. I laughed at my own fear and addressed the owl.

"Hello there, you startled me" I said with a laugh. "Find any mice for dinner Mr. owl? Or are you pondering this night?" I was answered with a hoot. I chuckled and returned to my own dinner, scoffing at my nerves. There was nothing to fear in this forest, just animals going about their lives, as I was. But, as the night wore on, my annoyance begin to wane into fear.

The fog may have stolen my sight, but my ears were working just fine. I was hearing things. At first it was just the sounds of the woods at night. More bat chirps, which heightened my spirits, with the bats about I would not be beset by insects. More owls hooted in the night as my own took flight to look for mice. Only once did I hear the cry of a wolf. A loner if I had to guess, both because the call received no answer and because it sounded so lonely. I admit I felt sad hearing that beautiful, sad cry to the moon.

As the night drew on, the animal sounds slowly died out to be replaced by sounds I can not accurately describe. Terrible, horrifying sounds. Rustling in bushes, snuffling and gurgling that I had never heard any kind of animal make. Whispers ran wild through the trees, too faint to hear clearly though they filled the air around me non-the-less. They came from every direction at once, surrounding me. At first I thought it was just animals or the wind, but I could make out no signs of animals near me and it could not have been the wind because the trees were not moving. A sneaking sense of dread began to fill me, as if the most basic part of my brain could sense that I was in danger.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I was instantly certain I was being watched. I could feel the eyes on me, could almost taste the malicious intent. I had no idea what lurked in the murk and the fog not feet away from me, but I knew it meant me harm. I had no weapon, only a small knife I used to cut the meat. It was sharp and keen, but was little help against a forest predator of any notable size. I placed my back to the tree, I would see my attack by God. I would not be felled by an attack from behind.

"Well, aren't you the lost one" came a voice from over head, followed by a giggle that was dulcet and smooth like molasses. I froze, my blood running cold. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears, the sense of dread that clutched at my heart deepened, gripping it like a vice and refusing to let go. The voice had not been human. It had a strange sort of echo to it, like three voices said the words at once. I dared to glance up, the fog from over head had parted just enough to let the rays of the moon filter down through the leafless trees to the ground bellow. There, perched on a branch about half way up the tree, sat the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.

She wore a green sort of tunic that had no sleeves, held to her body by only one strap that rested on her right shoulder. The fabric, what ever it was, made it look like she was wearing a giant leaf of some kind. The tunic, if indeed that is what it was, left her midriff bare while on her arms she wore some sort of sleeve that started at her wrists and traveled all the way up to her elbows. Her feet were bare, save for black stockings that had no toe or heel. Those rose up to her knees. Around her waist she wore a brown skirt that looked to be made of the same fabric as her tunic, synched by a white belt made from what looked like spider's webs.

Although her clothing was foreign and exotic, it was her features that drew my attention more than anything else. Her skin was bronze and flawless, her hair flowed over her shoulders like liquid gold and gave off a faint halo in the moon light. Her ears were sharply pointed and her eyes seemed to be devoid of any kind of iris or pupil. They were just white planes that seemed to glow faintly blue.

She cocked her head to the side, still smiling amusedly at me and giggled again. "Cat got your tongue?"

I sputtered, drawn out of my revere and shook my head. "N-no…" Again she giggled. "You're…you're not human. Are you?" I asked. As soon as the words left my mouth I realized how stupid it sounded.

"No" she said, humoring me. "I'm not." I swallowed and tried to speak again, hoping to sound at least a little more intelligent than an average garden snail.

"You're…a Fairy?" She nodded, her grin never leaving her lips. I didn't really know where to go from there, trying to keep the dread from over taking me. She wasn't the one who had made those strange sounds earlier, which meant that she was not the worst thing out there in these woods. Speaking of, "Before, those sounds? That wasn't you?" She shook her head.

"That was a Troll and I think he wanted to eat you…oh don't worry, he's gone now" she added as an after thought, seeing the look of horror on my face. "What's your name, little man?" she enquired in a cheerful, curious voice. Had that question come from anyone but a Fairy I might have been offended.

"Hen…Hiccup" I said, not at all sure why I didn't just give her my real name. She considered it, a thoughtful look coming over her face.

"Henhiccup…you humans have such strange names." In that moment I knew she was teasing me, she had this knowing smile on her face and I suspected she knew exactly who I was. More, I did not have time to correct her because she launched into her own introduction. She stood up, and had I been more myself I might have noticed that the tree branch did not bend under her weight in the slightest. She leapt to the ground with all the grace expected of a supernatural creature. "My name is Astrid, Princess of Viridia" she claimed regally, curtseying lightly. I'm not sure why but something told me I should bow, so I did. "And it is my very great pleasure to meet you, Hiccup lf the Haddock house, at long last."

I'm not sure how I missed them in the tree, but now that she was standing right in front of me, I was able to see her most distinguished feature. Her wings. They sat, folded neatly on her back like a dragonfly's, thin as gossamer and almost completely transparent. Were it not for the moon light passing through them, wreathing her in a subtle rainbow, I would never have seen them. I was so lost in their beauty, I failed to notice her ending comment.

Astrid stepped forward and took my chin in her hand. Her skin was soft as otter fur, warm and welcoming to the touch like embrace of a lover in the cold night. I came back to reality just as her lips, soft as silk and sweet as honey, touched mine in a chaste kiss. I was so stunned, so shocked by what had just happened that I forgot how to speak. The Princess just smiled and held up her hand, speaking a word into it that I could not, and still can not, understand. A faintly glowing orb winked to life in her palm.

"This will guide you home, Hiccup. This forest is not safe for you after dark. But don't worry, we will meet again." She smiled and tossed the orb into the woods, where it flouted about three yards off. "But before I let you go…" She pulled me in again, though this time the kiss was much deeper, much stronger than before. She lingered on my lips for a long time. Hours? Days? Years? A lifetime? I don't know, I didn't care, before letting me go at last. She tasted like fresh strawberries dipped in cane sugar on a summer's afternoon. She smiled and turned me toward the little orb and gave me a push.

"Go, I'll see you soon," she cooed in my ear. I turned to look over my shoulder but she was gone, lost in the mist of the forest. I walked to the orb that flouted between the trees slowly and as soon as I got close it shot off to wait a few more yards away. I began to understand, the little ball of light would lead me home, all I had to do was follow it. I had no real idea what had just happened, but I did know one thing. I owed Fishlegs an enormous apology.


	2. Chapter 2

I watched him go, retreating into the forest with only my light to guide him. Already I regretted letting him out of my arms. I sighed, my fingers lingering on my lips as they continued to buzz like angry hornets from our kiss. Or rather my kiss, he hadn't done much kissing back. I had never kissed a man before, let alone a human man. It was strange, electrifying and warming but bitter sweet as well. It was like tasting the sweetest honey only to have it ripped away after just a few short licks.

I had watched Hiccup since he was a child, I knew him better than he knew himself in some ways. And yet, at the same time, I didn't know him at all. How could I? I had never spoken with him, never laughed with him, never cried with him, never held him when he was sad or alone. How could I know anything about him? And that thought made me sad. Crushingly so. It felt like a great fist had wrapped itself around my heart and started to squeeze mercilessly. I knew my beloved so well, but not at all.

My name is Astrid, and tonight, I tell the story. My beloved husband has already introduced me, so I wont waste time telling you who I am. As I was saying, I remember watching a very young Hiccup retreat through the woods and admiring how handsome he was. Yes, I suppose it is rather shallow to fawn over a boy one has just met. But, I'm not just a Fairy, I'm a woman too…and he was so handsome. Maybe it was his simple, kind hearted naivety that made him so beautiful to my eyes. Maybe it was the warm glow of his heart that drew me to his side, perhaps I will never know exactly what it was. Perhaps that is okay.

I longed to follow him, to be with him, to know him as a man and not just as a person I had watched from afar. But I could not. I was already breaking rules that aught not be broken and my mother was going to be furious as it was. Although I didn't tell him this, I had not been the reason the Troll had left him alone. The sky was thick with my mother's guards, I could smell their magic on the breeze. I couldn't see them through the fog and dense tree tops, but I knew they were there. Just as they knew I was down on the ground, somewhere. If I wanted to avoid a confrontation, I would have to let my love go for now and return home.

I let myself drift off of the tree branch I had been perched on and pointed my nose home. Even though I knew he would be safe, that my light would keep him thus, I worried about him. All the way back to my gilded cage in Viridia I felt my mind drift to him. Worrying about that Troll that had wanted to eat him, about the guards that swarmed the skies. What if they found him, what if they guessed what I knew to be true? Would he really be safe? Would he make it home without incident? Would I ever see him again?

The trip to my own home was a short one, it's surprising how fast one can move when you fly. I'll never understand how you humans get around without wings, walking just seems so slow to me. Anyway, getting back into my room always proved infinitely more difficult than getting out. First and foremost I had to get through the city before I could even think about the palace. See, Viridia is much, much larger than Berk. If it took a human a three days to walk to the walls of our city from Berk, without getting lost, it would take the same human another day to reach the other side of the city.

Ducking the guards, who were of course even thicker in the city than the forest, only slowed me down more. In fact it wasn't until well after midnight that I was able to slip back into the open window of my bed chambers. The palace is situated in the exact center of the city and, as can be expected, is also the tallest tower. It was always difficult to tell exactly which room was mine, the outside of the palace was built so that every window looked the same and enchanted to play with the mind. Windows would move and change location on the surface of the tower to keep thieves from sneaking in. So, I learned that I had to leave sublet clues for myself to follow. Tonight it was a single candle, unlit on the sill of my window.

I slipped into the dark room and breathed a sigh of relief, I was home safe and sound and without incident. No hurried explanations to guards, no fear of being punished and my rout of escape hampered further. It was shameful, on more than one occasion I had to lie to the guards and tell them I had slipped out to see my lover in House Moon. I know that is a little confusing and I will explain Viridian Politics in due time, but for the sake of my story I shall press on. That was my running lie, that I was sneaking out to do illicit and unlady-like things with a secret lover. Better the court think me a silly girl with a libido than a treacherous, treasonous upstart.

You see, it was illegal to have any kind of contact with humans back then, we Fairy-folk were terrified of you. To have any contact with humans meant sever punishment, for anyone. Being back in my room was a relief, no accusations and no guards to deal with.

"Where have you been" came an angry hiss from out of the darkness of my room. I jumped so hard I nearly hit the ceiling, my heart felt like it had jumped up into my throat. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Sorry Ruff," I said, after stilling my racing heart truly apologetic. "Dodging the guards proved a little more difficult than usual. Mother's really stepping up security."

Ruffnut, my maid and closest friend, was furious. Even in the dark of my chambers I could see it on her face, she was quite the ugly shade of red. Ruffnut and I had grown up together, her mother was my mother's personal maid and the two of them thought that I should have a playmate in my youth. Her brother, her twin brother, had been forced to join us because there was no one else for him to play with other than the son of the Guard Captain, Snotlout. Sometimes I feel bad about the pranks we used to play on him, it couldn't have been easy for Tuffnut to grow up with only two girls for companions.

"I don't care about your problems, do you know what I have been through tonight, what I always go through for you?" she hissed again.

"I know Ruff, I'm so sorry but…" I tired.

"But nothing" she counted, surprising me with her boldness. Ruffnut had never agreed with my sneaking out, even if she didn't know the whole truth, but she had never so blatantly disrespected my station. "I'm sick of covering for you while you sneak off to see some boy, tonight I actually had to…flirt with that troll of a captain." She said with a cringe on her face.

"No, not Snotlout" I said, both sorry and disgusted. Snotlout was Tuffnut's only male friend for many years before reaching adolescents. Snotlout was the son the former guard captain and had recently risen to his father's station, though it was provisionary at best. The boy was thick, even by human standards.

"The same," she said looking more than a little ill. "The boy is all groping paws and drooling lips." The poor girl looked like she might be physically sick.

"Oh Ruff, no, I'm so sorry." She made a dismissive noise and waved her hand.

"Just, please, tell me this boy of yours is worth it. Worth me getting felt up by an ape and you risking your linage."

"I think so Ruff…I hope so." Ruffnut did not look happy with my answer, and I couldn't really blame her.

"You think? You hope? Look, I get that you want to get out and have some fun before you are tied to the throne and all, but I don't know how much longer I can keep this up, and I don't want to hear 'I think' and 'I hope' when I ask you if he's worth it."

"I know, and I'm really sorry, it shouldn't be much longer" I said with a sigh. I really did feel bad that I was putting my best friend through all of this, but in my mind it needed to be done. I couldn't be shut up my whole life and be expected to rule. I had to know what these humans were really about. If they were really destructive and cold hearted as my people believed.

"Is it really worth it Astrid? Getting into trouble just to sleep with a guy?" I blushed. I had told Ruffnut that I was slipping out at night to see a lover. It was a lie, but it was better than telling her that I was really going to see a human. It violated one of our highest laws.

"Yes Ruff, I think it is…" Ruffnut scoffed and threw her hands up in exasperation.

"There goes that 'I think' again. Really, I have nothing against falling in love but, damn it Astrid, at least commit to it. If you're going to risk it all I want to hear 'yes Ruffnut, he sweeps me off my feet and makes me feel alive like no one ever has, and when we make love I can't help but cry out in passion and bliss' not 'oh I think it's worth it.' Ya know?" I felt my cheeks burn, if only she knew. "Just don't come back pregnant, please." I chuckled at that.

"I don't think that will be a problem Ruff, but thanks." I let out a yawn worthy of a dragon and stretched in a similar fashion, lifting myself up onto my toes as I did so. The hour suddenly hit me, and exhaustion took hold of me. I tossed my tunic off and let my skirt fall around my feet. Ruffnut, of course being a maid, blanched and tried to dress me in "appropriate night attire" but I mostly ignored her and tossed off what was left of my clothing. I was never really one for being "ladylike" when I didn't have to be and frankly there are few things better than sleeping nude. Being joined by a man, I have since found out, is one of them.

Ruffnut tried to make me dress appropriately, but I shoved her out of my room with a sarcastic "good night" and fell to my bed tiredly. I sighed and stroked the pillow next to me longingly, wishing that Hiccup were there with me. To hold me and kiss me like we had in the forest. To whisper sweetly in my ear and tell me he loved me. Oh the sweet dreams of a girl, I know. But that could not be. Not yet anyway. I had planes in mind, hopes and dreams I was already working to make real. But it would take time and effort, and the timing was not yet right to put my plans in motion. Soon though, soon enough I would be able to share a bed, perhaps even this bed, with the human boy who had so captured my heart. My dearest Hiccup, the man who would be king of the Fairies.

The morning dawned cloudy and cool, as it often did in the fall, and I was roused from my slumber by Ruffnut. She was gently rocking me, quietly bidding that I rise, the way she always did. I made some kind of embarrassing noise before reaching full conciseness and stretched.

"Good, you're up. Your mother wants to see you for breakfast," She said, moving from my bed to my wardrobe. She started to sift through my dresses as she spoke. "Something about your recent behavior, or so my mother says." She started to lay out an outfit for me, which included knickers and jewelry.

"Is it a state meal?" I asked, rubbing my eyes as the silken sheets fell off me. I yawned and stretched again, not really caring that I was naked. It wasn't anything Ruffnut hadn't seen before.

"No, but I wont have you parading about in that…outfit," she wrinkled her nose as if the word was odious, "you love to wear so much before the queen. She may be your mother but I wont be embarrassed because you prefer comfort over fashion."

"Alright, alright" I moaned, wanting her to just stop complaining. "Just please don't make me wear a…oh damn." Ruffnut was holding up my best Corset sneering. It was also my tightest, and I knew instantly that my friend was having her revenge for the night before. And as much as I hated that thing, I knew I was not getting out of this with my reputation intact. Because I also knew that if I wanted to escape I would have to throw myself from the window in all my naked glory, which if I do say so myself, _is_ quite glorious.

Nearly an hour later found me in the great dinning hall of the palace. I always hated that room, it was a monument to everything that was wrong about our society. It was massive, the ceiling sailed over the gargantuan table that dripped with gold and jewels. It made me sick that we, the privileged few, sat in such decedent luxury when others suffered, especially the humans.

Although no one in Berk would ever complain about their lives, the village often went wanting. Crops would fail, cattle would die of illness and it would leave the villagers without food. They always managed to pull through and never complained about their poor fortune. It was simply accepted as a part of life, and in that I had to respect their hardness, their strength. But there was always at least one death when those lean winters came along. It broke my heart to know that I had never wanted for anything, and so many others did and continued to do so.

And it wasn't just the humans, plenty of Fairy-folk went hungry on the streets of Viridia too. As with any large city, we have our slums and homeless. Those poor souls that are too weak, too sick, or too injured to work and make a living. We, the elite, turn a blind eye to them and tell ourselves they do not exist, that our city is a gleaming gem of perfection. But it's all a lie.

But I digress, my mother sat at the head of the table where she always did. The space immediately to her right lay open, to honor my late father, with the space on her left occupied by myself. Ruffnut had laid out a staggeringly pure white dress made of spider silk for me to wear. It made me sick to know that this dress cost more to make than most of my people made in their lifetime. It was beautiful, I had to admit, and it rested on my flesh like nothing I had ever felt before. It was as if I were wearing nothing at all. She had also insisted that I wear my tiara, not that I needed much convincing.

I have to say that, even though I am appalled by the wealth wasted on myself, I love my tiara. What girl wouldn't? It is made from laced platinum bands that wrap delicately around my forehead, frosted with tinny, perfectly cut diamonds like ice crystals. I have to say that of all my things, I hate my tiara the least. Maybe it's because it has been in my family for thousands of years, passed down from mother to daughter back to the day's when Viridia was first founded. Back when humans and Fairy-folk walked our streets in peace and harmony.

I had wondered why Ruffnut had insisted that I dress so nicely, and I found the answer upon entering. Azmond, the head of House Ironbark, was sitting to my mother's right. He was an average sized man with the lean and chiseled physic one would expect of a solder. Long blonde hair crowned his head and ran down his back while squinting green/brown eyes peered out from behind magically anti-aged brows. I hated that man. He was ever bit as arrogant and ignorant as my mother, and infinitely more pig headed. He was my mother's strongest ally on the council as far as policy went.

I suppose I should explain something about Fairy-Folk politics. Our government is set up not unlike your own. Although we have a Matriarch, namely my mother, she is only one part of the system. She has the ultimate final say in all rulings but without the support of the counsel her enforcement would not last long.

The Counsel of Fairys is made up of the heads of all the major and minor Fairy Households, not unlike your lords. Although they are not divided into categories like Dukes, Duchies, Lords and Knights, they all have their place. Instead of title, their position is based on wealth. Therefore the most wealthy family has the most say. The largest houses are House Oak Leaf; the most wealthy of the merchants. House Ironbark; a powerful and influential military family. And House Green Tree, our Spiritual leaders. From these three large houses steam the hundreds of secondary and minor houses that make up the counsel.

"Ah, Princess Astrid, how lovely to see you again," said Azmond in a singsong voice that made my skin crawl. "You look radiant as always."

I curtsied and forced a smile, offering my own greetings. "And you as well, Lord Azmond, how fairs your noble house?" Guh, I hated having to be nice to this slimy excuse for a Fairy. He was so greasy even his words seemed to slide and ooze out of his mouth. But, I knew that if I was in anyway unladylike my mother would never let me hear the end of it.

"So good of you to join us, Astrid" my mother drawled in her sickeningly sweet voice. It was the sort of voice that she only ever used when she was patronizing me.

"Of course mother," I responded in an equally fake and equally patronizing voice. My relationship with my mother had not always been so bad, but lately she had been making decisions for me and for all of us that just seemed so small minded and short sighted. It frustrated me to no end.

"Good, good." said my mother sweetly. "Azmond was just telling me about his youngest son, Azmodius." I felt my heart jump, I knew that tone, had heard it many times before. "Apparently the young man has had his eye on you for some time." I felt the blood drain from my face. "Not that that is really surprising, after all young men have been chasing after you for years" she went on, without a care in the world. "And that got me thinking," my mother thinking? Oh lord, here it comes. "I think it is high time you settled down and married a nice, noble boy from one of the Great Houses. And Azmond's son sounds perfect for you."

She was beaming, extremely pleased with herself. "After all, the boy does come from impeccable pedigree and he would make a good King and Husband for you. Oh, you're children would be gorgeous" she went on, nearly swooning at the thought. Meanwhile, I was seething with rage. My fingers had torn holes in my fine dress they were clenched so hard in the material.

"So" I said, my voice shaking with either rage or sorrow, I wasn't really sure what emotion filled me more. "I am to be bred like a prized horse, then?"

"Oh Astrid, don't be so over dramatic" my mother said, sipping from her tea and waving a dismissive hand. "It's unbecoming a princess to act so...common." I knew that no matter what I said, nothing would penetrate my mother's thick head, she was set in her ways and nothing I did was going to change her mind….unless.

"I…I already have a suitor," I said evenly, trying to piece together the idea that had just sprung to my mind.

"Oh? Who? Certainly not that boy you have been sneaking out to see" she said with a lofty chuckle. "You know that such a lowly man could not be allowed to wed a princess."

"I'm afraid you have been miss informed. I have not been sneaking out of my room just to see some Fairy boy from the city." My mother looked confused. Azmond, who had been sitting mostly forgotten did not look too pleased either. "I…I have been sneaking out to see…see the…Prince of the dragons" I lied. While dragons were considered equals to us in stature, it was still looked down upon to be physically involved with them. But still, it was better that than the truth.

"I…I see" my mother said. She looked very lost but, not entirely displeased. "I was not aware Prince Toothless had a brother."

"Uh, he does, only younger by a year or so. You know dragons" I said with a fake laugh and a toss of my hair. "Like rabbits they are." I wasn't sure what I was more proud of, the fact that my lie had placated my mother or enraged Azmond. The man was practically writhing in his chair.

"What is the boy's name?" asked my mother, looking more and more pleased with the idea of me marrying a dragon.

"Uh…Hiccup…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Short chapter is short. Sorry I am not updating regularly. Cold truth is I have better things to do most of the time. Anyway, not as big a fan of this chapter as the last but hey, they can't all be gold. **

I awoke to the sound of my father slamming the door to our family home, most likely returning from a morning filled with work. The night before was a blur, I couldn't focus on any one event other than that beautiful girl. She was still so clear in my mind. Every line, every detail of her face was still so clear to me even though everything else was a blur. I knew it couldn't have been just a dream.

"Hiccup!" Bellowed my father, sounding quite put off. "Wake up you wee lazy boy. You've been a bed far past sunrise." Before I could fully register what exactly was transpiring I found myself hauled out of my bed and held upside down by my foot. I also found myself fully clothed, as if I had collapsed on my bed without changing.

"How could you be out so late last night, and _not _do the only chore I asked of you?" my father said gruffly. I was still not quite awake, so my answer was less than intelligent.

"Muh huh?"

My father scoffed and dropped me on my head. If I had been even partly asleep before, I was certainly awake now.

"Sorry dad, I got lost in the forest and…" my head filled with broken and fractured images of what had happened the night before. If I told him the truth he might think me crazy and lock me in the house. Or worse, he might believe me and make my life infinitely more complicated.

"And?" my father prodded.

"And…I…had to find my way back." My father gave me a flat look. He didn't accept my answer as the truth but at the same time wasn't going to press the issue. Any sense of relief I felt was almost instantly replaced by the crushing knowledge that my own father didn't really care that I was lying or why.

"Get yer chores done round the house then get off to the smithy, before Gobber tans your hide along with the cow's." The words were short, curt and tired. Tired of having to deal with me, I suspect.

He stomped out of my room and back down the stairs. The bang of the front door was my only evidence that he had left. It was in that moment that I fully realized how little my father cared what I did or why. I wasn't worth the effort, it seemed. I would always be the failure that would never be able to live up to his expectations. My house chores were done quickly enough; sweep the floor, clean the dishes and prepare the fire wood for the night, nothing difficult. But my father was right about one thing, if I was late for work Gobber would all but flay me alive.

After an hour solid of screaming at me I was set to work mending farm tools for the swiftly approaching fall harvest. Needless to say I was kept busy. Even so, as I worked I found myself distracted and unable to focus. I was making foolish, novice mistakes that cost me hours of work and more than a few nicks and burns. I just couldn't stop thinking about her. That golden hair, that bronze skin…beautiful body. But what my mind's eye kept drifting back too were those perfect, white-blue planes she called her eyes. I could have lost myself in those eyes, truly, had Gobber not kept shouting at me to stay focused.

Near sunset, I was startled out of my musings by a voice that did not belong to Gobber. It was softer and more subdued, not to mention higher in pitch, than that of the gruff, grouchy bark of the smith master. "Hey Hiccup." I jumped, startled at the unexpected interruption, missing my strike with my hammer and clipping my hand. "Owe" I yelped, shaking the offended appendage. "Oh, Fishlegs, hey, what brings you to the smithy. Your dad need more nails?" Fishlegs was standing at the order window, leaning on the shelf and looking about nervously.

"Oh, no, actually" he said too quickly, the words not having time to form on his tongue. "I wanted to apologias about last night. I mean, I know fairies aren't real and…"

"I saw one" I said cutting him off mid sentence.

"I knew it!" he cried, jumping up and down, laughing like a child. "I knew they were real, I just knew they had to be real."

He launched into a long explanation, talking so fast I couldn't even understand him so, for the sake of my sanity and his own tongue, I interrupted him again.

"I know, I know Fish, I got it."

"What did she look like?" He asked, positively giddy with excitement.

"She was blonde and tall," I explained, recounting every defining feature I could think of.

"Bronze skin?" he asked almost dancing in place for all of his excitement. "With gossamer wings?"

"Yeah, that was her." I said, nodding as he listed off her features. "Oh Fish" I said with a sigh. "She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I can't stop thinking about her." Fishlegs stared at me as though I had lost my mind.

"Just be careful Hiccup," he warned. "She might have put a charm on you or something." I scoffed at that, surly I would know if I were charmed.

"I'm telling you Hiccup, Fairy folk are devious and cunning and not to be trusted. If you're not careful, she could steal your soul."

"Who is going to e stealing who's soul?"

Gobber walked over, glaring at the both of us.

"Oh, uh, nothing," I said trying a little too hard to sound casual. "Uh, Fishlegs here was just, uh, bringing up a hypothetical situation about fairies and their interactions with humans."

"Oh?" said the old smithy, lifting a bushy brow at us. "Well you two listen to me, their aint no nothing' hypothetical about fairies and humans. If you let em close they'll steal your soul…or was it your socks…"

"Thank you Gobber, no need to worry. We'll be careful. Isn't that right Fishlegs" I said, giving Legs a look that told him to be off before Gobber went into one of his rants.

"Right" said Fishlegs. "Well, I need to be getting home Gobber, mother and father will be looking for me to help with dinner I'm sure."

The old smith scoffed and shoed the boy away.

"As fer you" he said, pointing his hook at me. "You git back at work."

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Several hours later found me at home, sitting at my writing desk when I suffered quite the fright.

"Hey Hiccup."

I felt my heart leap into my throat and I swear my head hit the ceiling. I whipped around in my chair so fast I tossed it from it's feet as I reached mine. I was shocked by what I saw. Astrid was leaning on my windowsill, a miraculous achievement given that my window is roughly twenty feet off the ground. She wore a mischievous grin on her face befitting her kin and it gave me a sinking feeling my night was going to become infinitely more complicated. Her legs kicked in the air behind her, an innocent smile on her face, as she hovered outside my window. She was dressed the same as before, though this time a leather head band restrained her hair.

"You!" I shouted. My father grunted in the next room. The man may have been able to sleep through a thunderstorm, but I was not about to tempt the hurricane. "What are you doing here?" I hissed, much more quietly.

"I wanted to see you" she said with a girlish giggle that threatened to still my heart. As flattering as was I just about wanted to yank my hair out.

"Do you know what could happen if my dad caught you here?" I asked in a hiss.

"Relax" she said, inviting herself into my room, sitting on the sill. "I'll be gone before he knows I was here." She smiled at me, and as pretty as it was, I was much too annoyed with her presence to appreciate it.

"Relax, relax?!" I shouted, encouraging another grunt from my father in the other room. I quickly adjusted the volume of my voice. "I have a Fairy sitting on my window sill!" I shouted in a throaty whisper. She just continued to laugh.

"You have a beautiful girl in your room, Hiccup" she said. "Are you really not going to do anything about it?"

"No!" I hissed back, to which her grin widened. "I…I mean yes! Because if I get caught here with you I'll-" I was cut off mid rant for Astrid had slipped off of my window sill, crossed the room, and pressed her lips firmly against my own so quickly I hadn't even had a chance to react to her movement. After prying her off of my lips I nearly lost my mind.

"Would you please _stop _that?!" I shouted in a firm whisper, whipping my mouth off with the back of my sleeve. She gave me a pout that made my knees go weak, it was positively inhuman. I let out a sigh and apologized. "Uhg, I'm sorry I just…"

She laughed softly, "you're far too easy to tease Hiccup. We'll have to work on that." Naturally, I blanched.

"We? Who _are _you? And work on _what_? What on earth are you talking about?"

She sighed and let those strange, alien eyes drift shut. She was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts before she spoke. Even in my irritation I had to admire the energy she put into her composure, her poise.

"I'm afraid I have involved you in my own affairs" she said in an almost mournful manner, deadly serious with nary a trace of the mischief that so permeated her posture and presence before. "I had wanted to take this slower, ease into a relationship with you, but my mother forced my hand."

I stared at her blankly.

"Relationship? Mother? What on earth are you talking about?"

"Maybe I should start from the beginning" she said, my blank expression apparently not lost on her. She sent me a smile that threatened to still my heart a second time and gestured for me to return to my chair.

"As I told you last night," she began. "My name is Princess Astrid Hofferson of Viridia and heir to the throne."

She told me all about what had happened the day after we had met in the forest. The meeting with her mother and the powerful Fairy senator. The threat of her arranged marriage and the ruse she had played out to avoid that arrangement. She told me about how she pretended that I was a dragon prince and that she had been sneaking off to see me. It was a lot to take in; dragons and fairies and complex politics I didn't understand, arranged marriages and secret trysts. It was mildly overwhelming.

I was angry at first. After all, who was she to involve me in the affairs of supernatural beings? I was just a man, and little more than a child at that.

"Why would you do that?" I whispered angrily, standing and stepping forward. "Why would you bring me into this, how could you do that to me!?" I continued, forgetting to keep my voice down. "How could you think that I would, or even could, help you with this."

"Because I had no other choice," she said flatly. "It was either this or find myself trapped in a life of servitude, left to be admired in a cage for the rest of my life." The look upon her face was unwavering, cold determination and utter seriousness. If it had not been for that face, I might not have believed her.

"Ok" I said, giving a shrug of acceptance. "How can I help?"

She brightened greatly at my offer, a clear weight lifting from her shoulders. "Believe it or not, I do have a plan," she said excitedly. "One I think we can pull off without too much difficulty."

"Please, elaborate" I said, still not sure I believed that I was even there, that any of this was real. A Fairy wanted _my _help with this, why? What did it all mean?

"First, sleep. I have my own preparations to make and you will need your strength in the weeks to come. Do not fear" she said, lifting a hand to quell my arguments before I could even voice them. "I will take care of everything. All I need for you to do is trust me."

"You haven't given me much reason too" I said evenly. Her features did not waiver, she knew she was asking too much of me, yet some how, even to this day, I think she knew I could be put to the task.

"I know" she answered. "But I have watched you since you were a small child, I have seen the kindness in you and the courage. I have absolutely no doubt you are the one I need." She grinned and gave me a light, all too fleeting kiss and then she was gone. Disappearing out my window.

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**So, what did you guys think? Like I said it is shorter than normal because, well it is. Hope I get the next on up this month, but I wouldn't count on it. =p anyway, you know the drill, read review. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey there guys, I just want to take a second and apologize for how long these chapters are taking. I don't have them pre written because I never anticipated this kind of following. I released the first chapter to see if I should even continue, and, well, yeah. Anyhow, just wanted to say sorry, I am doing the best I can. However, if you are frothing at the mouth for a good How to Train your Dragon fan fiction, take a look at foxysgirl's story, Chasing Thunderstorms. You simply must read it, it is hands down her best story yet and it is only getting better. Read it. **

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I couldn't help the giddy feeling as I fluttered into my room that night. I couldn't be sure if it was the brief encounter with Hiccup, or the knowledge that my plans were _finally _underway that forced the entirely too girly squeal from my mouth, but I'd like to think it was Hiccup. Regardless I fell onto my plush bed with a bright grin on my face and butterflies fluttering about in my chest. It was a good feeling.

I yawned and stretched my hands over my head, everything from my fingers to my toes tingling. I squeaked in glee and was glad no one was around to hear it, grinning brilliantly to myself. I can not describe how happy I felt in that moment, it was like I was awash in a warm light that radiated from within. It was glorious.

The warm fuzzy feeling could not last, however, as such feelings were often fleeting. The rational side of my mind took hold and asked the questions I had been ignoring for the last few weeks.

What if this was wrong? What if_ I _was wrong? Was I asking too much of Hiccup?

The more I thought about it the more absurd it all seemed, the whole situation. It was shocking to realize that he was going along with me at all, I mean I knew he would. Hiccup by his very nature was kind and selfless, but the sheer reality of it all was just too ridiculous.

A fairy appears before a human boy and asks for his help. The human accepts her offer knowing almost nothing about said fairy other than what his own people have told him, most of it not very nice. It was ludicrous, absolutely insane! What human in his right mind would just…_do _that?

It was a dream, this all _had _to be some kind of blissfully sweet dream.

My fingers drifted to my lips and I couldn't help but smile. My heart fluttered just recalling his face, his lips. By the stars his lips were like my own personal narcotic. This had to be love, it just had to be. What else could make a woman feel this way? It was like having a warm orb suspended in your chest just waiting to explode out of you at any second. It was wonderful and terrible all at once.

My worries slowly melted and I found strength in the moment. In that giddy, girlish, warm feeling that spread through my chest like water.

What had I to fear? He had already agreed to help me, had listened when others would have run or scoffed. And let us be fair, he was a young man and I a beautiful young woman. All I had to do was bat my eyelashes, flash a little skin and he would be mine for eternity. Not that I had or had too of course, a strung along puppy was the last thing I wanted. But I had known him his whole life, I knew I could trust him with this, that he would not dissert me.

Satisfied and content in the knowledge that there was nothing more I could do on the matter that night, I prepared myself for bed.

As I went about undressing for my bath I caught my reflection in my mirror. I could not help but stare, tinny twinges of worry leaping into my heart that perhaps I was not the sort of woman Hiccup desired. It was such a silly thought, worrying about something so far into the future it had little barring on the moment. Yet I could not let the worry go.

What if he didn't want me, what if he liked other sorts of girls? It's so funny to think about now because the thought that he might prefer a human to a fairy never even occurred to me. And perhaps it was a good thing, I didn't see us as two different races, just two people. But, I digress.

My gaze lingered on my reflection, analyzing every minuet flaw wondering all the while; "Would Hiccup want me?"

My breasts were not as large as they could have been, my hips not as shapely, my legs and arms too large, filled with too much muscle. I did not have what was considered a noble lady's body. No soft hands or smooth legs, my lips were not full and lushes, rather they were thing and firm. My hips were too narrow, not good for baring children and my body was too hard, poorly suited for love making. Or at least so all the "experts" said when I first reached puberty.

I was built like a laborer or a warrior, not like a princess. And honestly, I much preferred it that way.

"Not exactly lady like to be staring at yourself naked now, is it?"

I jumped at the voice of my maid at the door. How I had missed the light pouring in from behind her was absolutely beyond me. Ruffnut was little more than a silhouette against a backdrop of blinding light. I made a noise much too girly for my taste and threw my arms over myself.

"Would you shut the damn door before someone sees?" I hissed.

Ruffnut lifted a smirking eyebrow and stepped inside, but not before remaking, "And here I thought you had no shame."

I shot her a seething glare as she shut the door. "I guess I'm making _some _progress in turning you into a lady" she remarked further. I let my arms drop and stood facing her defiantly. Attempting, for the sake of my pride, to prove I was as wild and reckless and without shame as ever, which I was.

In privet.

"What do you want Ruff?" I asked still scowling.

"What do I want? Well lets see. I want a pile of gold and a large house by the sea, a beautiful husband to take me to bed every night and leave me weak in the knees, children to mother and good wine to drink. But, as I am just a maid in the service of my lady I must be content to make sure she has everything she needs for bed" she replied all too sweetly. "Shall I draw you a bath my lady?"

"Yes, yes you shall" I snipped, still seething at her. She was entirely too happy for my liking, which when it came to Ruffnut never boded well, at least not for me.

"Anything you care to share?" I asked sharply, sitting down at my writing desk, still very much in the nude, to begin composing the proper correspondence to ensure my plans were successful.

"Oh nothing out of the ordinary." She said in a sickeningly sweet voice she only ever used when she wanted to taunt me. "Your mother expects you for breakfast again, your combat instructor is taking a personal day and…oh Snotlout is looking for you," she added with a satisfied smile in my direction and an infuriating lift of her eyebrow.

"Oh gods not Snotlout" I moaned loudly slamming my head onto my desk, spilling ink across the letter I had just started to write, utterly destroying it.

"The one and only" Ruffnut clarified, far to pleased with the situation.

"Did he finally get bored of your boney ass?" I shot at her spitefully.

"I'll have you know my ass is lush and perfectly shaped thank you" she retorted perfectly calm. "And furthermore, that drooling half troll has not so much as seen my perfect ass, let alone done anything unseemly to it."

"Then who…"

"That is for me to know and you to never find out" she said with a confident grin, bent over the fine porcine tub she was filling. She had removed her work gown so as to avoid getting it wet, standing in just her under trousers. My dear maid was a very lovely girl in her own right. She was tall and lanky, but it was no stretch of the imagination to see why men found her attractive. Despite her lean hips and small breasts she sported a fine figure and soft skin, if a little weathered by hard work. I suppose I should not have been surprised when I learned she had found a lover, even if I could not restrain the twinge of jealousy.

I had my Hiccup, or would soon enough anyway, and that would be more than enough for me. Or so I told myself.

"Ok, seriously, what does he want?" I asked, disposing of the ruined piece of paper and selecting a new one, along with a fresh ink well.

"Something about taking you to the arena for a bout. I honestly wasn't paying much attention. I was…occupied, when he found me."

"One day I will have to make you explain that, but not tonight" I said in response to what was probably a lewd statement knowing my maid.

"Regardless, it seems he seeks your companionship tomorrow evening after dinner, which I suggest you indulge him in."

"Are you punishing me for making you distract him a few nights ago?"

"While that certainly sweetens the situation, I honestly believe the smart and prudent move would be to suffer his company for the evening to avoid further suspicion."

Sometimes it frightened me how clever my maid was. If she hand not been born a hand maiden's daughter she would have made a terrifying politician.

"If I must" I said with a sigh, finishing off the first of several correspondence. "wait, further suspicion? Of what?"

"Of you being an unseemly woman doing unseemly things pure ladies should not do outside their marriage beds," Ruffnut replied, surprisingly delicately.

"I thought I already solved that problem" I said, frowning. What was the point of playing Hiccup off as a dragon prince if my mother wasn't convinced?

"Apparently, there are members of the court who would rather see your reputation and your, ahem, chastity besmirched than see you being wooed by the royalty of a powerful ally. You're bath is ready" she declared calmly, standing and waiting by the tub.

I stood and approached, sliding one slender leg into the perfectly heated water with a sigh. I looked at my maid, at my friend since before I could remember and smiled, forgetting my cares about overly amicus members of court.

"Join me" I said flatly, sliding into the water all the way.

"I'm sorry Astrid, but you know I can't."

"Oh shut up Ruff, hang the rules for tonight and have a bath with me, it'll be just like when we were kids."

Ruffnut couldn't help the grin and I knew I had her. She removed the last of her clothes and slid in with me, sighing contentedly as we leaned against each other. We sat in peaceful quite back to back for a few moments, just enjoying the warmth and sweet smelling salts.

"I wasn't kidding you know" she said, breaking the silence. "Snotlout really is looking for you and your mother really is concerned about your romantic affairs. Frankly a proposal from a noble boy would be a good thing…but I know how you feel about Snotlout."

I grimaced and felt a shutter run through me. It wasn't really fair, Snotlout wasn't really a _bad _person and he was anything but ugly. He was arrogant and pig headed but he wasn't cruel or violent, stupid to be sure, but a long way from evil or even really mean.

I had not doubt in my mind he would make some woman extremely happy some day, just not me, and not today. Or tomorrow. Or ever.

Like Ruffnut I had known Snotlout since we were children. His best friend in the world was the counter part to my own. He and Tuffnut both served in the palace Royal guard and Snotlout was being groomed for command. He was already addressing himself as Captain and it made me sick to think about it.

"You know he wont be able to actually follow through with it. He's not a royal," I said with a shrug.

"But he is a noble." she reminded me. "He could petition the Queen for your hand and, with a large enough dowry..." she let the statement hang.

"I'm really not concerned, my mother has too many grandiose plans in mind to wed me off to a simple guard captain."

"If you say so. Don't say I didn't warn you."

More silence reigned.

"Hey Ruff?" I asked softly after a long silence. She hummed at me to continue, quite enjoying the luxury of a bath she did not get to enjoy often enough. "What's it like?"

"What's what like?" she responded, sounding tired.

"You know…" I said with a slight blush, dancing around the topic. "Making love."

Ruffnut coughed and sat up straight in the tub, her back going ridged against my own. "Why would you ask that?"

It was my turn to blush. "I don't know, I just…I want to know." I said boldly. "Don't make me make it a command," I threatened.

Ruffnut sighed and I felt her head lean back against mine. "It hurts, at first" she recalled softly. "I bled…pretty bad actually" she added with a soft laugh. "I think he had to change his sheets. But…after you do it enough, start to learn what you like, what they like…it starts to feel good. Really…really good." I could feel he body shift and knew she was hugging her knees, she always did that when she felt shy. "And then you start to want to do it more, cause there's this…I don't know, bond, or something and…and that's all you get Princess nosy."

I laughed softly and leaned a little more firmly into her. "Alright, alright, I get it."

I smiled, looking out my window at the rising moon. I wasn't going to get much sleep tonight, I still had so much to do, so many preparations to make. But I could spare a few more minutes of relaxing with my friend. I would always have time for this.

Always

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**So there you have it. Shorter chapter but not a lot happening here. Please tell me if you like it and why. I love hearing that you guys love the story but I really need to hear why, so I know what to keep doing. Please leave a review.**


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